ODA hit back over Hadid Aquatics Centre

2012 Olympic Aquatic Centre, London, United Kingdom Wednesday 09 Jul 2008

ODA hit back over Hadid Aquatics Centre “Complex” Hadid Aquatics Centre build to commence ahead of schedule The Olympic Delivery Authority has hit back at “inaccurate and scathing” reports by the BBC that the Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre will be too complex to build in time for the 2012 Olympics by announcing the early commencement of its construction. The building touted as the “Gateway to the Games” is situated at the South East corner of the Olympic Park in London and construction will now commence by the end of this month, ahead of the Beijing Olympics. The BBC report stated there were questions over the choice of wood for the roof, which was, in fact, chosen for the ceiling of the pool space. In a press release issued the day after the BBC report, the ODA stated: “The BBC London report on Tuesday 1 July included claims that the roof of the venue, which will provide swimming and diving facilities currently unavailable in London, may be too complicated to be built and that a potential supplier is concerned about the materials being considered for the roof. “In fact the sweeping roof is an innovative steel structure with a striking and robust aluminium covering. The Zaha Hadid Architects led design team have worked closely with world class engineers Arup and the main contractor Balfour Beatty to finalise the construction plan for the roof, including maintenance access in legacy. "The team is currently considering different types of timber cladding for the internal ceiling of the venue and the sides of the roof supports. The timber selected will be tested over the next six to twelve months to ensure it works both for the Games and in legacy before installation in 2010." During the games the Aquatics Centre will offer a capacity of 17,500 seats for the main competition pool and diving, and 5,000 seats for the water polo venue. After the games, 2,500 temporary seats will be removed and a ‘leisure water’ facility added turning the Centre into a permanent fixture in the Stratford community. Hadid’s Aquatics centre was submitted to the design competition in 2005 and images were released the following year. In 2007 work began to clear the site of existing buildings and clean up the land in preparation for construction. Planning was sought in January of this year and in April Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract to build the Centre. With construction commencing by the end of the month it is expected the Centre will be complete in 2010. Architects : ZAHA HADID nad Architects

The Blue Planet/Whirlpool, Copenhagen, Denmark Tuesday 08 Jul 2008

Designing The Blue Planet

3XN wins design for dramatic aquarium in Copenhagen

Inspired by the whirl streams of the sea, shoals of fish, and swirling starlings turning the sky black, 3XNs winning proposal is called ‘Whirlpool’. Indeed, from the round centre hall of the building the different parts are ‘whirled’ in the slightly curved sequence of rooms. The first and longest of the whirlpool’s arms follow the shape of the landscape and the building, moving into the land.

The Blue Planet building site is in Copenhagen, at the island of Amager, right at the coast of Øresund, north of Kastrup Havn, close to the Copenhagen Airport, and viewed from a plane the whirlpool shape will show in its full. Approaching on the ground, one will experience the building as floating in a circular reflection pool, and a walk through its interior is a travel through several organic worlds.

Designing The Blue Planet the architects team was inspired by nature, says principal of 3XN, Kim Herforth Nielsen. “We wanted to stage a totality of the experience one has visiting an aquarium. The starting point was this magnificent experience of actually watching fish in their element. We wanted to create that adventurous feeling, and we took inspiration in the natural phenomenon of the whirlpool or maelstrom drawing you into the deep. A sculpture at the coast it unites the natural elements of water, air and earth.”

Thus situated in the borderland between the worlds of Poseidon and Zeus, the walls and roofs form a single, continuous flow and are clad in a way which emphasises the wavy outline of the building, thereby telling a story of this union. The first and longest of the whirlpool’s arms follows the shape of the landscape and the building, moving into the land.

Entering The Blue Planet, the building will convey an other-worldly experience from the initial moment. Visitors tilting their head back will be met by the underside of an aquarium pool which is also the ceiling giving a sense of an underwater world. High above, through the pool water, you can see the sky with sunlight being reflected in the water and forming flickering, shimmering sunspots on the floor and walls of this light.

The Round Room is a centre of navigation in the aquarium, and this is where visitors choose which river, lake or ocean to explore. Each exhibition has its own face towards the Round Room, each with its own entrance, starting with a buffer zone – a platform where sound and images are used to introduce the atmosphere communicated in the ensuing exhibition room.

Raised a few metres above the terrain, The Blue Planet is a reflection of strong coherence; greatness in the smallest of things, all water in the world being inextricably linked, from the enormous forces of tsunamis to the infinitely tiny, spinning molecules. Overlooking the Øresund, the building connects land and sea, drawing both the great outdoors and visitors inside.

In the landscape, the great WHIRLPOOL continues through the terrain, the pools and the sea surrounding the building. Like watery currents, the building is not static – the movement continues into the future by virtue of always allowing possible extensions to add more, simply by letting the lines of the whirlpool grow further out. Any expansion would cause a minimum of inconvenience to the contemporary exhibitions and the existing parts of the building. The extensions can simply be added to an individual arm, solely closing this particular section down during the extension process and not re-opening it until completion. Secondly, the key element is that any new building volumes added will be extensions of the architecture, with any expansion of the aquarium simply taking place in a natural dialogue with the building itself.

Nature and culture can be mixed, controlled by topics and ideas, on the basis of the stories to be told or in interaction with the audience. The building is flexible enough to accommodate it all, and the dominant whirl, with its endless scope for variation, but also repetition and rhythm, holds it all together. The curves which define the unique and sculptural look of the building must be perceived as part of the backdrops to the sceneries of the exhibitions.

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Shenzhen International Airport Terminal 3, Shenzhen Bao’an, China Monday 14 Apr 2008

Three-pronged attack wins Airport bid

M Fuksas win Shenzen Bao’an airport bid with functionally, ecologically and socially sound design

Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas (M Fuksas) have won the competition to design the third terminal at China’s Shenzen Bao’an International airport. The terminal which resembles an airplane from above has been designed specifically to cater to the passengers' needs whilst taking account of environmental and socio-economic factors.
The terminal takes on-board the “movement” and “pause” elements to a travelers’ use of the area with three separate areas spatially designed to cater to the travelers’ different needs. M Fuksas say it is designed to ergonomically ease the travelers’ passage through the structure and decrease walking distances and processing times while providing the convenience of eateries and shops.
The design considers ecological effects by using an innovative two-skin layer which will reduce energy consumption and allow natural light to permeate the structure.
The project has also been specifically designed by the Italian architects to make the most effective use of local resources and will be built with local contractors.
The 400,000 square-metre structure will be constructed in three phases and is due to be completed in 2035. The first phase will be a working airport complete with shopping and parking facilities by 2015 with the further two phases allowing for expansion and rail links to the terminal.

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New Congress Hall

New Congress Hall, Rome, Italy Sunday 06 Jul 2008

Cloud gathers in Rome

The great “Cloud of Congress” is slowly descending on the EUR district of Rome

Hailed as "one of the most beautiful projects in the world" by Rome’s ex-mayor Walter Veltroni, the New Congress Hall by indigenous Studio Fuksas is set to become a landmark of the Modern City of Rome.

Fuksas' project is the response to a competition held in 1998 by the Council of Rome to reinforce the international image of the Italian capital in the panorama of congress and international meetings.

Nine years passed before work on the foundations could begin and in the meantime the building has become an urban legend. Amongst Romans it is widely referred to as “la nuvola” (the cloud) and it already holds the intrinsic ephemeral qualities of a cloud: it is there but you can’t really grasp it.

The building will surface at the junction of 4 major roman arteries on a vacant parking lot. It will present itself as a translucent parallelepiped, 39m high, 75m wide and 198m long. On two sides squares will open to the neighbourhood and the city and offer natural gathering spaces for the site users. The simplicity of the exterior shape pays tribute to the linearity of rationalism in architecture, the movement that in the 1930’s produced the iconic buildings that still characterize the horizon of the EUR business district.

Inside the container, a 3500 sq m cloud of steel and glass fibre is suspended on a surface of 10, 000 sq m: it will be the home of an auditorium with a capacity of 1800 seats. The cloud will be held in place by an orthogonal grid of woven beams: suspended between the pavement and the ceiling of the big congress hall it will exclusively rest on three vertical elements.

In true Fuksas style, great importance is given to the morphing power of light: illumination within the cloud will create the illusion of a vibrant structure.

The appearance of the inner structure will change depending on the viewpoint and will be in constant transformation; trapped in the container, the cloud will seem fluctuating as if pushed by the current of a wind.

The New Centre of Congress will also house 2 conference rooms of 5000 and 3000 sq m each, vast foyers, meetings rooms, cafés and a restaurant welcoming around 10,000 people. Works are expected to complete by 2010.

Dynamic Architecture

The first World Dynamic Architecture

Dynamic Architecture buildings keep modifying their shape. As each floor rotates separately, the form of the building changes constantly; you may not see the same building twice.
Dynamic architecture marks a new era in architecture. This new approach, based on motion dynamics, is in fact a challenge to traditional architecture that until now was based on gravity.
Dynamic Architecture buildings will become the symbol of a new philosophy that will change the look of our cities and the concept of living. From now on, buildings will have a fourth new dimension TIME. Buildings will not be confined to rigid shapes; construction will have a new approach and flexibility. Cities will change faster than we ever imagined.
This fourth dimension has been the essence of David Fisher’s work so far. The concept has already generated considerable interest internationally, from political leaders and city councils.
The homes we live IN and the way we live are also set to change drastically with this innovative architecture. Our buildings will no more remain the ‘fossilized imagination’ of the architect; they will change, constantly bringing new views and experiences to us with time; nor can the architect’s pencil impose an environment on us. Each building has its own will and freedom.
The construction method and the ability to produce energy on its own are two of the most outstanding features of Dynamic Architecture buildings. These buildings are made of prefabricated units, custom-made in a workshop, to fit very high quality standards. Such a process itself can guarantee cost savings of about 20%, a factor that will have a huge impact on the global real estate industry.
Compared to traditional buildings, Dynamic Architecture requires fewer people on site, which means less risk of human casualties; construction is faster and cost is significantly lower.
In fact each of the three innovations of Dynamic Architecture – changing shapes, industrial production of units and self-production of clean energy, all protected by a world wide patent pending registration – can offer a host of benefits to construction and real estate industry.
Dynamic Architecture buildings will have path-breaking safety features and electronic control systems along with their futuristic design and unique luxury finishing.